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2009-07-17

Ponyo vs the Sky Crawlers

Back in August, 2008, Toshio Suzuki welcomed famed director and longtime friend Mamoru Oshii on his radio program, Suzuki Toshio no Ghibl Asemamire. The two discussed Hayao Miyazaki's new movie, Ponyo on a Cliff by the Sea, and Oshii's latest, The Sky Crawlers. Oshii is always quick on his wit whenever discussing Miyazaki and Takahata, and he comes through once again.

Datacomp has posted a translated transcript of the radio discussion, and it's an excellent read. Ghibli Freaks and Oshii fans are going to love this. The discussion varies widely, from the movies to the state of hand-drawn animation to Steven Spielberg's newest Indiana Jones picture.

Read the whole thing here. There's a lot to discuss in depth, so I'll have to post some excerpts in future posts. I will say this much: it's wonderful to see some intelligent discussions about Hayao Miyazaki that go into depth. You never see anyone in the States going to this depth, treating these films seriously. But in Japan, Miyazaki and Takahata are giants, great artists. They aren't looked down upon as babysitters.

Toshio Suzuki and Mamoru Oshii

3 comments:

James said...

Miyazaki's movies have lost their logicality and structure ever since Spirited Away.

I wonder if this is when Suzuki and Takahata's influence left Miya-san. Equally ironic since Spirited Away releases during Takahata's apparent post Yamadas inactivity.

Daniel Thomas MacInnes said...

Isao Takahata hasn't had any direct impact on Miyazaki's work since the mid-1970s. And their relationship was as much a rivalry as anything. By the time he made Future Boy Conan, Miyazaki was his own man.

Anyone struggling to understand his "grand opera" period - Mononoke, Sen, and Howl, plus the museum short films - needs to spend some time with Frederico Fellini.

James said...

I understand what's being shown to me, but it's just a matter of personal preference I think.

Miyazaki's been his own man but I do think his post Mononoke films have become more structurally free and illogical than his previous films.

Oshii and Suzuki are kind of vague when they talk about this about when this happened. When would you say the extent of Suzuki and Takahata's "logic" and "structure" influence completely left Miyazaki?

Suzuki wasn't even in the picture til Nausicaa. His producing influence probably waned after Mononoke's big box office record.

I think when Yamadas tanked and Mononoke raked in the money, Miyazaki was finally able to free himself from Suzuki and Takahata.

I don't really care much for Oshii's films but he always has something interesting to say about Ghibli: http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/interviews/oshii_on_mt.html

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